Sharable content item links with use restrictions

ABSTRACT

Shareable content items links with use restrictions. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises: receiving, from a client computing device used by a link submitter, a request to access a server-stored content item at a sharable link; denying the access requested by the link submitter based on one or more use restrictions associated with the shareable link; prompting the link submitter to request approval to access to the server-stored content item at the shareable link; responsive to receiving approval for the link submitter to access the server-stored content item at the shareable link, modifying the use restrictions associated with the shareable link to allow the link submitter to access the server-stored content item at the shareable link.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS; BENEFIT CLAIM

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/848,853, filed Mar. 22, 2013, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.The applicant(s) hereby rescind any disclaimer of claim scope in theparent application(s) or the prosecution history thereof and advise theUSPTO that the claims in this application may be broader than any claimin the parent application(s).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to sharing digital content and,more specifically, to sharing digital content with sharable content itemlinks having use restrictions.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, users have shared digital content (e.g., a document, adigital audio file, a digital video file, a digital image file, or otherdigital information) with each other by hand carrying or otherwisetransporting portable physical media such as floppy disks betweencomputers. In recent years, data networks that interconnect computersallow users to send digital content to each other over the networkswithout having to transport physical media. For example, one user cansend a file to another user as an attachment to an e-mail message.

Today, in addition to traditional methods, users share digital contentby making it available for download from servers. For example, a usermay upload digital content to a server. Another user may download thedigital content from the server. However, once the digital content isuploaded to the web server, the sharing user may have little or nocontrol over how the digital content is accessed at the server. Forexample, the sharing user may not be able not be able to prevent thepublic at large from downloading the digital content from the serverwhile at the same allowing certain authorized users to download thedigital content from the server.

Given the need of sharing users to place restrictions on how digitalcontent at servers is accessed, there is a need for easy-to-usesolutions for sharing digital content between users that allowingsharing users to restrict how shared digital content is accessed. Thepresent invention fulfills this and other needs.

SUMMARY

The claims section at the end of this document provides a useful summaryof some embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a very general block diagram of a computer system in whichsoftware-implemented processes of the present invention may be embodied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a log-in form, which is displayedwhenever a user needs to log in.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a content item browser page.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a content item browser page when afolder content item is selected for further action.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a content item browser page when a filecontent item is selected for further action.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a form for sharing a content item as asharable link.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a form for sharing a content item as asharable link and for specifying restrictions on use of the sharablelink for access to the content item.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a form for sharing a content item as asharable link and for specifying restrictions on use of the sharablelink for access to the content item.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a form for sharing a content item as asharable link and for specifying restrictions on use of the sharablelink for access to the content item.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an unauthorized access form presentedto a Link Submitter for requesting access to a content item at asharable link from a Link Sharer.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a form presented to a Link Sharer forapproving or denying a request to access to a content item at a sharablelink from a Link Submitter.

FIG. 12 a diagram illustrating a form presented to a Link Sharer formodifying the use restrictions on a sharable link for a content itemthat an unauthorized Authenticated User has requested access to.

FIG. 13 a diagram illustrating a page for managing sharable links that aLink Sharer has previously shared.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a page displayed in a web browserwindow of a Link Submitter that submits a sharable link to the systemand for which the Link Submitter is authorized to use the sharable linkto view and download an underlying content item.

FIG. 15 a high-level diagram illustrating components that comprise thesoftware architecture of a cross-platform content item sharing andsynchronization system constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention willnow be described. The following description will focus on a presentlypreferred embodiment of the present invention, which implemented inpersonal, portable, and/or server software operating anInternet-connected environment running under an operating system, suchas the Microsoft Windows operating system or a Unix-based operatingsystem. The present invention, however, is not limited to any oneparticular application or any particular environment. Instead, thoseskilled in the art will find that the system and methods of the presentinvention may be advantageously embodied on a variety of differentplatforms. Therefore, the description of the exemplary embodiments thatfollows is for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Theexemplary embodiments are primarily described with reference to blockdiagrams or flowcharts. As to the flowcharts, each block within theflowchart represents both a method step and an apparatus element forperforming the method step. Depending on the implementation, thecorresponding apparatus element may be configured in hardware, software,firmware, or combinations thereof.

Overview of Disclosed Embodiments

A computer-implemented system providing web-based sharable content itemlinks with link sharer specified use restrictions on accessing anunderlying sever-stored content item is described. In one embodiment,for example, a computer-implemented method of the present invention forrestricting use of a sharable link for access to a server-stored contentitem includes the steps of: receiving, from a client computing deviceused by a link sharer, a request to share a server-stored content itemas a sharable link; causing a user interface to be presented at theclient computing device of the link sharer that allows the link sharerto specify one or more restrictions on how the sharable link is used toaccess to the server-stored content item; receiving, from the clientcomputing device used by the link sharer and through the user interfacepresented at the client computing device, a specification of at leastone of the restrictions; receiving, from a client computing device usedby a link submitter, a request to access the server-stored content itemat the sharable link; determining whether the at least one restrictionprevents the link submitter from the requested access to theserver-stored content item; and granting the requested access only afterdetermining that the at least one restriction does not prevent the linksubmitter from the requested access.

In another embodiment, for example, a system of the present invention isdescribed for restricting use of a sharable link for access to aserver-stored content item. The system comprises a user interfacemanager for: receiving, from a client computing device used by a linksharer, a request to share a server-stored content item as a sharablelink; causing a user interface to be presented at the client computingdevice of the link sharer that allows the link sharer to specify one ormore restrictions on how the sharable link is used to access to theserver-stored content item; receiving, from the client computing deviceused by the link sharer and through the user interface presented at theclient computing device, a specification of at least one of therestrictions; and receiving, from a client computing device used by alink submitter, a request to access the server-stored content item atthe sharable link. The system further comprises a content item sharingmanager for: determining whether the at least one restriction preventsthe link submitter from the requested access to the server-storedcontent item; and granting the requested access only after determiningthat the at least one restriction does not prevent the link submitterfrom the requested access.

Computer-Based Implementation

The computer-implemented techniques of the present invention may beimplemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. Thespecial-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform thetechniques, or may include digital electronic devices such as one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed toperform the techniques, or may include one or more general purposehardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant toprogram instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or acombination. Such special-purpose computing devices may also combinecustom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming toaccomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices may bedesktop computer system, server computer systems, portable computersystems, handheld electronic devices, networking devices or any othercomputing device that incorporates hard-wired and/or program logic toimplement the techniques.

For example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a computersystem 100 upon which an embodiment of the invention can be implemented.Computer system 100 includes a bus 102 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information, and a hardware processor 104 coupled withbus 102 for processing information. Hardware processor 104 can be, forexample, a general purpose microprocessor. Although only one hardwareprocessor 104 is shown in FIG. 1, computer system 100 can have more thanone hardware processor 104 coupled to bus 102 for processinginformation.

Computer system 100 also includes a main memory 106, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 102for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor104. Main memory 106 also can be used for storing temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of instructions to beexecuted by processor 104. Such instructions, when stored innon-transitory storage media accessible to processor 104, rendercomputer system 100 into a special-purpose machine that is customized toperform the operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system 100 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 108 orother static storage device coupled to bus 102 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 104. A storage device 110,such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus102 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 100 can be coupled via bus 102 to a display 112, such asa liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a computeruser. An input device 114, including alphanumeric and other keys, iscoupled to bus 102 for communicating information and command selectionsto processor 104. Another type of user input device is cursor control116, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys forcommunicating direction information and command selections to processor104 and for controlling cursor movement on display 112. This inputdevice typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis(e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specifypositions in a plane.

A touch-sensitive surface can overlay display 112 as an input device 114to form a touch-sensitive display that provides an input interface andan output interface between the system 100 and a user. Thetouch-sensitive surface can be a sensor or set of sensors that acceptsinput from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. Contact withthe touch-sensitive surface can be made by the user with a stylus or setof styluses or a finger or a set of fingers. The touch-sensitive surfacecan detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of aplurality of touch sensing techniques now known or later developedincluding, but not limited to, capacitive, resistive, infrared, andacoustic wave techniques, as well as other proximity sensor arrays orother elements for detecting one or more points of contact, movement ofcontact, and breaking of contact with the touch-sensitive surface.

Although display 112, input device 114, and cursor control 116 areillustrated outside the dashed box representing computer system 100 inFIG. 1, it should be understood that one or more of display 112, inputdevice 114, and cursor control 116 can be part of the form factor of thecomputer system 100. For that matter, although main memory 106, ROM 108,storage device 110, bus 102, processor 104, and communication interface118 are illustrated inside the dashed box representing computer system100, it should be understood that one or more of these components can beexternal to the form factor of the computer system 100 and operativelycoupled to the form factor through a peripheral interface.

Computer system 100 can implement the techniques described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/orprogram logic which, in combination with the computer system, causes orprograms computer system 100 to be a special-purpose machine. Accordingto one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed by computersystem 100 in response to processor 104 executing one or more sequencesof one or more instructions contained in main memory 106. Suchinstructions can be read into main memory 106 from another storagemedium, such as storage device 110. Execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in main memory 106 causes processor 104 toperform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments,hard-wired circuitry can be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions.

The term “storage media” as used herein refers to any non-transitorymedia that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine tooperation in a specific fashion. Such storage media can comprisenon-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes,for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 110.Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 106. Commonforms of storage media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magneticdata storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium,any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge.

Storage media is distinct from but can be used in conjunction withtransmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between storage media. For example, transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise bus 102. Transmission media can also take the formof acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-waveand infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media can be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to processor 104 for execution. For example,the instructions can initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solidstate drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 100 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 102. Bus 102 carries the data tomain memory 106, from which processor 104 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 106 canoptionally be stored on storage device 110 either before or afterexecution by processor 104.

Computer system 100 also includes a communication interface 118 coupledto bus 102. Communication interface 118 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 120 that is connected to alocal network 122. For example, communication interface 118 can be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellitemodem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to acorresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communicationinterface 118 can be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a datacommunication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links can also beimplemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 118sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals thatcarry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 120 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 120 canprovide a connection through local network 122 to a host computer 124 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 126.ISP 126 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 128. Local network 122 and Internet 128 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 120and through communication interface 118, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 100, are example forms of transmission media.

Computer system 100 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 120 and communicationinterface 118. In the Internet example, a server 130 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 128, ISP 126,local network 122 and communication interface 118.

The received code can be executed by processor 104 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 110, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

The above-described computer hardware are presented for purposes ofillustrating the basic underlying desktop, portable, and server computercomponents that can be employed for implementing the present invention.For purposes of discussion, the following description will presentexample in which it will be assume that there exists a “server” (e.g., aweb server, capable of hosting methods of the present invention as webservices) that communicates with one or more “clients” (e.g., desktop orportable computers, from which users log on to the server in order touse the web services). The present invention, however, is not limited toany particular environment or device configuration. In particular, aclient/server distinction is not necessary to the invention, but issimply a suggested framework for implementing the present invention.Instead, the present invention can be implemented in any type of systemarchitecture or processing environment capable of supporting themethodologies of the present invention presented in detail below,including implementing the methodologies on a standalone computer (i.e.,where users long on to the same computer that the computer-implementedmethodologies are services). Additionally, the following descriptionwill focus on file hosting service providers (e.g., Dropbox, Inc. of SanFrancisco, Calif., which provides cloud storage, file synchronization,and client software to users) in order to simply the discussion.However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system andmethodologies of the present invention can be advantageously applied tosharing all types of digital content.

Shareable Content Item Links

According to some embodiments, the present invention provides system andmethods supporting sharable content item links (sharable links) forsharing digital content items (content items) between users. The systemand methods also provide the ability to the Link Sharer to specifycertain restrictions on how sharable links are used to access sharedcontent items.

Content Items

A content item is a logical collection of digital content. Digitalcontent can include, but is not limited to, text, animations, audio,graphics, images, or some combination thereof. Content items caninclude, but are not limited to, files and folders. Files can include,but are not limited to, digital documents (e.g., .DOC, .PDF, .XLS, .TXT,and other document file types), digital audio files (e.g., .WAV, .M4A,.MP3, .AAC, and other digital audio file types), digital video files(e.g., .AVI, .MOV, .MP4, and other video file types) and digital imagefile (e.g., .JPEG, .TIFF, GIF, PNG, and other image file types). Afolder is a named logical collection of one or more files and/or one ormore folders.

Users

At the outset, it is helpful to understand different users of thesystem. At the highest level, there are two main categories of users:Authenticated Users and Public Users.

Authenticated Users—Overview

Authenticated Users are users of the system having an individualidentity known to the system. The system can establish the identity ofthe user by successfully authenticating the user based on a validusername and password provided by the user. Other manners ofauthenticating the user are possible and the present invention is notlimited to any particular manner of user authentication. For example,authentication of the user can be based on a valid cryptographic digitalcertificate presented by the user.

An Authenticated User has an account with the system and a set of zeroor more content items associated with the account and stored on thesystem's servers. At the highest level, there are two different types ofaccounts that users can authenticate with: Individual and Team.

An Individual Account is an account where at least some of the contentitems associated with the account are associated with only that accountand not any other accounts.

A Team Account is an account in which the content items associated withthe account are also associated with one or more other Team Accounts.The set of Team Accounts associated with the same set of contents itemsare collectively referred to as a “Team”. Teams allow a group ofAuthenticated Users to collaborate on a set of content items. A userthat successfully authenticates with one of the Team Accounts, as wellas being an Authenticated User, can be referred to as a member of theteam (or just “Team Member”).

In this description, the term “Authenticated User”, unless otherwiseapparent in context, is used to refer to both users that successfullyauthenticate with an Individual Account and users that successfullyauthenticate with a Team Account. Where description applies only to TeamAccounts and not Individual Accounts, the term “Team Member” is used torefer to an Authenticated User that has successfully authenticated witha Team Account. Where description applies only to Individual Accountsand not Team Accounts, the term “Individual User” is used to refer to anAuthenticated User that has successfully authenticated with anIndividual Account.

Public Users

Public Users are users of the system who individual identity is unknownto the system. Public Users can be unauthenticated users of the system.Nonetheless, the system can acquire some identifying information aboutthe Public Users such as the peer network addresses (e.g., IP addresses)of the computing devices from which the Public Users communicate withthe system over a network.

Authenticated Users—Identity and Notification

An Authenticated User can be identified by and to the system through anaccount identifier. The account identifier can be, for example, ane-mail address provided to the system by the Authenticated User. Forexample, the Authenticated User can provide an e-mail address whenregistering for an account with the system. Thus, the AuthenticatedUser's account identifier can correspond to the Authenticated User'susername, if the system authenticates users by username and password. Asanother example, the account identifier can be the subject or the commonname portion thereof of the Authenticated User's public key certificate,if the system authenticates users by digital certificates.

Whether or not the account identifier is an e-mail address, theAuthenticated User's account can have an e-mail address associated withit for use by the system in sending e-mail notifications to theAuthenticated User. That e-mail address can be the account identifier,if the account identifier is an e-mail address. If the accountidentifier is not an e-mail address, then the Authenticated User canprovide a notification e-mail address to the system, for example, aspart of the account registration process.

Authenticated Users can also have other notification “addresses” thatthe system uses for sending other types of notifications to theAuthenticated Users. For example, an Authenticated User's account canhave a phone number that the system uses to send text messagenotifications (e.g., Short Message Service (SMS) messages) to theAuthenticated User.

Authenticated Users—Sharing Links with Restrictions

During system use, Authenticated Users are presented with a Content ItemBrowser that allows them to browse the set of content items associatedwith their accounts. From this browser, Authenticated Users can selectcontent items to share in the form of sharable links to the contentitems. The sharable link can be a URL generated by the system. Thesharable link can be unique for the shared content item and may begenerated in such a way that it is difficult to guess the sharable link.Among other information, the sharable link can contain a difficult toguess pseudo-randomly generated set of characters and an identifier ofthe shared content item (e.g., the name of the shared content item).Thus, even if the random characters were guessed correctly, the sharablelink could not be reproduced unless the identifier of the content itemis known or also guessed correctly. For example, if the shared contentitem is a file named “Getting Started.pdf”, the system can generate thefollowing sharable link:

-   -   https://www.dropbox.com/s/bx7f9 pmqblg7qzg/Getting%20Started.pdf        In this example, the character sequence “bx7f9 pmqblg7qzg” is        the pseudo-randomly generated set of characters and the        character sequence “Getting %20Started.pdf” is the identifier of        the content item (the character sequence “%20” is used to encode        the space between “Getting” and “Started” in the URL which by        standard is not permitted to contain space characters). Other        sharable link formats are possible and the present invention is        not limited to any particular sharable link format. For example,        the sharable link can contain only a pseudo-randomly generated        set of characters instead of both a pseudo-randomly generated        set of characters and an identifier of the shared content item.

URL is an abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, a character stringwith a specific syntax for addressing and accessing a resource on anetwork. The first part of the character string indicates what networkprotocol to use to access the resource (e.g., “http” or https”),followed by a colon and two forward slashes. The second part of thestring specifies an IP address or a domain name where the resource islocated on the network. The optional third part of the string indicatesa location-specific path to the resource. The third part may alsocontain application-specific data (e.g., a query string) and subordinateresource identifying information (e.g., a fragment identifier).

Once Authenticated Users select a content item to share through theContent Item Browser, the Authenticated Users can specify one or moreLink Recipients to which the system will send notification of thesharable link generated for the shared content item. For example, thesystem can send an e-mail message and/or a text message containing thesharable link to each of the specified Link Recipients.

The Authenticated Users can also specify a third-party web service withwhich the Authenticated Users have separate accounts and to which thesystem will provide the sharable link for further action by thethird-party web service. For example, the third-party web service can beFACEBOOK (www.facebook.com) and the sharable link can be posted on theAuthenticated User's FACEBOOK WALL. As another example, the third-partyweb service can be TWITTER (www.twitter.com) and the sharable link canbe sent in a TWEET from the Authenticated User's TWITTER ACCOUNT.

Authenticated Users can also specify one or more restrictions on howsharable links are used to access shared content items. The restrictionscan be specified in the context of selecting a particular content itemfor sharing as a sharable link generated by the service. Therestrictions can include user restrictions. In particular, therestrictions can include which Authenticated Users are permitted toaccess the particular content item using the sharable link, if theparticular content item is associated with an Individual Account. If theparticular content item is associated with a Team Account, therestrictions can include which Team Members are permitted to access theparticular content item using the sharable link.

The restrictions can also include restrictions on the manner of accessto the particular content item using the sharable link. The manner ofaccess restrictions can include what type of access is permitted, whenaccess is permitted, from where access is permitted, how many timesaccess is permitted, among other possible manner of access restrictions.For example, the restrictions associated with the sharable link canspecify that everyone may see a preview of the particular content itembut that only specified Authenticated Users may view the particularcontent item and download a copy of the particular content item.

For the purpose of providing clear examples, an Authenticated User thatselects a content item for sharing as a sharable link generated by thesystem is referred to herein as a “Link Sharer”. A user that receives agenerated sharable link in a notification (e.g., an e-mail message or atext message) sent by the system is referred to herein as a “LinkRecipient”. A user that submits a sharable link to the system requestingthe system to perform an action on the content item associated with thesharable link is referred to herein as a “Link Submitter”.

Note that a Link Submitter may not be a Link Recipient if the LinkSubmitter obtained the sharable link by other than a notification sentby the system. For example, a Link Recipient may have shared thesharable link with a non-Link Recipient who then submits the sharablelink to the system attempting to gain access to the content item. Thepresent invention allows the Link Sharer to specify user restrictions onthe sharable link so that only users authorized by the Link Sharer arepermitted to gain access to the content item using the sharable link.Further, the present invention allows the Link Sharer to specify mannerof access restrictions so that the authorized users gain access to thecontent item only in ways authorized by the Link Sharer.

Application Access

As mentioned previously, each account with the system has a set ofcontent items associated with it that are stored on the system'sservers. The set of content items can be presented to AuthenticatedUsers as a file-folder hierarchy. The hierarchy has a single top-levelfolder which can be unnamed. Each content item in the set has a path inthe hierarchy relative to the top-level folder. The hierarchical path tothe content item has one or more path components. Each path componentcorresponds to a file or a folder along the path to the content item. Ifthere is only one path component, then the one path componentcorresponds to a file or folder in the top-level folder. Since onlyfolders may contain other content items, if there is more than one pathcomponent in the path, then all but the leaf path component mustcorrespond to folders in the hierarchy along the path. The leaf pathcomponent can correspond to a file or folder. For example, the path“/Some Document.pdf” can refer to a PDF file in the top-level folderwhile the path “/Some Folder1/Some Folder2/Some Document.txt” can referto a text document stored in a first folder that is a sub-folder of asecond folder that, in turn, is a sub-folder of the top-level folder. Inthese examples, the forward slash character (‘/’) is arbitrarilyselected to separate path component names in the textual description ofthe paths.

The application can be accessed via a general login atwww.dropbox.com/login. This is a generic login page that takes the userto the Content Item Browser after they sign in. For Individual Users,the system automatically directs them to the top-level folder of the setof content items associated with their Individual Account. For TeamMembers, the system automatically directs them to the top-level folderof the set of content items of the Team.

Login

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a log-in form or page, which isdisplayed whenever a user needs to log in to an account held by thesystem. Following a successful login, the Authenticated User is taken tothe page he or she originally attempted to access (or the Content ItemBrowser if no page was specified).

If the Authenticated User is attempting to access a page correspondingto a sharable link (i.e., the Authenticated User is a Link Submitter)and the Authenticated User does not have permission to access the pageaccording to the restrictions specified by the Link Sharer, thenappropriate text may be displayed such as “Requested Access NotAllowed”. In some usage scenarios, as described in greater detail below,in addition to presenting the requested access not allowed message, theAuthenticated User is presented with user interface controls forrequesting access to the content item. The request is sent to the LinkSharer who can then approve or disapprove the request. If the request isapproved, the system sends a notification to the Authenticated Userinforming of the approved access. Once approved by the Link Sharer, theAuthenticated User can access the content item using the sharable link.

If the Link Submitter is a Public User and the Public User does not havepermission to access the page according to the restrictions specified bythe Link Sharer, then the requested access not allowed message can alsobe displayed. In addition, a link to the log-in page can be displayed sothat if the Public User has an account with the system the Public Usercan attempt to access the page as an Authenticated User.

If the user is logging in through the www.dropbox.com/login page, he orshe will be directed to the Content Item Browser.

The “Forgot your password?” link takes the user to a recover passwordform (not shown).

Content Item Browser

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a Content Item Browser page. In someembodiments, the Content Item Browser provides an interactivefile-folder hierarchy view of the set of content items associated withan account. However, presenting the set of content items associated withthe account as a file-folder hierarchy is not required and the set ofcontent items can be presented in other ways in other embodiments. Asshown, the page displays the Authenticated User's name (e.g., John Doe).If the account is a Team Account, the page can also display the Team'sname (not shown).

The page displays content items for a current folder in hierarchy. Thecurrent folder is indicated on the page. In this example, the currentfolder is the top-level folder. Accordingly, the current folder isindicated as “/” on the page (next to the service name “Dropbox”).Indicators other than the forward slash character can be used toseparate path components. For example, the indicator cane be anothercharacter (e.g., ‘>’) or a graphic or icon.

The content items contained in the current folder are presented on thepage in a table below the current path indicator. The table has threedisplayed columns: a name column, a kind column, and a modified column.The names of the columns are indicated in the first row of the table.The second and subsequent rows of the table correspond to content itemsin the current folder. The name column contains the names of the contentitems in the current folder. The kind column indicates the type of thecontent items in the current folder. The modified column contains a dateof last modification of the content items in the current folder. Whilefive content items are shown in FIG. 3, it should be understood that afolder can contain more or less than five content items.

The name of each content item is a link which when activated by theAuthenticated User takes the Authenticated User to another pagepertaining to the content item. Activation can occur by a point andclick of a pointing device (e.g., a mouse) on the name link or by touchcontact on the display area of the name link, as just two examples. Ifthe selected content item is a folder, then the Authenticated User istaken to another Content Item Browser page listing the content items inthe selected folder. The selected folder is now the current folder. Ifthe selected content item is a file, then the Authenticated User istaken to a page that presents the results of performing an action on thecontent item. For example, the page may present a preview of the file orthe system may serve a copy of the file for download to theAuthenticated User's computing device. However, the action performed onthe file is not limited to any particular action and actions other thangenerated a preview and serving the file for download can be performedby the system.

The kind of each content item in the kind column indicates the type ofthe content file. Generally, the kind indicates whether the content itemis a file or folder and if a file, what type of file (e.g., document,image, video, audio, etc.).

The modified date of each content item in the modified column indicateswhen the content item was last modified. For folders or files for whichmodification date information is non-applicable or unavailable, anot-applicable or unavailable indicator (e.g., “--”) can be displayed inthe modified column.

Selecting a Content Item in the Content Item Browser for Sharing

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the Content Item Browser page when alisted folder content item is selected for further action by theAuthenticated User. The listed folder can be selected by theAuthenticated User by activating the row of the content item listingtable in which the folder is listed. Once selected, the selected listedfolder can be visually highlighted on the page. In the example, thehighlighting is accomplished by indicating the border of the selectedrow in the table. However, the selected folder can be visuallyhighlighted in virtually any way that indicates the selected folder.

Once selected, a number of actions on the selected folder can be takenby the Authenticated User. The available actions can be displayed on thepage in response to selection of a folder. As shown, one of the actionscan be an action to share the selected folder with a sharable linkgenerated by the system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the Content Item Browser page when alisted file content item is selected for further action by theAuthenticated User. Similar to selecting a listed folder, the availableactions can be displayed on the Content Item Browser page in response toselection of a listed file. The set of available actions displayed mayvary between files and folder and between different types of files. Asshown, one of the available actions for a selected file can also be anaction to share the selected file with a shareable link generated by thesystem.

Sharing a Selected Content Item as a Sharable Link—Individual User

Once a file or folder is selected for further action in the Content ItemBrowser, the Authenticated User can perform a “Share Link” action on theselected content item. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a share linkform displayed after an Individual User (a Link Sharer) selects acontent item for sharing as a sharable link. The form provides a fieldfor entering the names or email addresses of one or more LinkRecipients. If a name is entered, the system can look up an e-mailaddress associated with the name in a contact list associated with theLink Sharer's account. The Link Recipients can be Authenticated Usersand/or Public Users.

The form also provides a message field for entering a text message. Thetext message is sent to the Link Recipients in the notification of thesharable link. Such notification can be made by the system by e-mailmessage or by text message (e.g., SMS message), as just two examples.

The form provides a checkbox which the Link Sharer can select torestrict access on use of the sharable link for access to the contentitem. If the checkbox is not checked when the Link Sharer activates the“Share” button on the form, then the system can send notifications tothe specified Link Recipients. The notifications include the sharablelink generated by the system and any message entered by the Link Sharerinto the “Message” field of the form. In the case where the restrictaccess checkbox is not checked, all Link Submitters of the sharable linkincluding those Authenticated Users and Public User not specified asLink Recipients have the same access to the content item. That sameaccess can be some default level of access of the system or a defaultlevel of access previously configured by the Link Sharer (e.g., througha user settings or configuration page). An example default level ofaccess can be, for example, only preview access such that all LinkSubmitters are able to view only a preview of the content item providedby the system. Another example default level of access can be, forexample, view and download such that all Link Submitters are able toview the content item and download a copy of the content item. As anextra security precaution, upon activating the “Share” button when therestrict access checkbox is not checked, the system can remind the LinkSharer of the default level of access and prompt the Link Sharer toconfirm the sharing request before sending the notifications to the LinkRecipients.

If, on the other hand, the restrict access checkbox is checked when theuser activates the “Share” button, then notifications can be sent to theLink Recipients as described above when the checkbox is not checked. Inaddition, the form may expand to allow the Link Sharer to specifyrestrictions on use of the sharable link for access to the sharedcontent item before activating the “Share” button.

As shown in FIG. 7, the Link Sharer can specify restrictions forAuthenticated Users that are specified as Link Recipients in the AddNames or Emails field. In addition, the Link Sharer can also specifyseparate restrictions for everyone else. Everyone else includes allAuthenticated Users not specified as Link Recipients and all PublicUsers. If a specified Link Recipient does not have an account with thesystem, the notification sent to the specified Link Recipient containingthe sharable link can prompt the Link Recipient to create an accountwith the system to gain access to the content item.

Some possible use restrictions on a sharable link generated by thesystem for a content item and submitted to the system by a LinkSubmitter are:

-   -   A restriction on the type of access to the content item;    -   A restriction on when the content item can be accessed;    -   A restriction on how often (how many times) the Link Submitter        can use the sharable link can to access the content item;    -   A restriction on the level of authentication required to access        the content item; and    -   A restriction on the location of the Link Submitter.

Type of Access Restrictions

Type of access restrictions includes “None”, “Preview Only”, “ViewOnly”, and “View and Download”.

If “None” is specified, then no access to content item is permittedusing the sharable link. The “None” option may be available only forrestricting access to everyone else.

With the “Preview Only” option, the system will generate a preview ofthe content item for the Link Submitter. The preview generated can varydepending on the type of the content item. For example, the preview of avideo content item may be small clip of the video or video summary. Thepreview of a document may be some but not all pages of the document. The“Preview Only” may not available only when sharing file content itemsand not available when sharing folder content items.

The “View Only” option allows the Link Submitter to view the contentitem in Link Submitter's web browser but not download a copy of thecontent item. If the content item is a folder, the contents of thefolder can be presented for viewing. For example, the content items inthe folder can be presented in a file-folder hierarchy view. If thecontent item is a file, then the content item can be presented forviewing in the Link Submitter's web browser according to the type of thecontent item. For example, if the content item is a video, then thevideo is played in the web browser. If the content item is an image,then the image is shown in the web browser.

The “View and Download” option allows the Link Submitter to view thecontent item in the web browser and download a copy of the content itemto the Link Submitter's personal computer.

Temporal Restrictions

In addition to or instead of type of access restrictions, the LinkSharer can specify a period of time or one or more period of timesduring which the sharable link can be used to access the content item.If the sharable link is submitted to the system outside the specifiedperiod of times, then no access is permitted. If a period of time or oneor more period of times is specified, then access is permitted only ifthe sharable link is submitted to the system during one of the period oftimes. The Link Sharer can specify a single period of time, a periodic,recurring, or repeating period of time, or multiple period of times.

Count Restrictions

In addition to or instead of type of access and temporal restrictions, acount restriction on how many times a particular Link Submitter canaccess the content item using the sharable link may be specified by theLink Sharer. If the Link Submitter is an Authenticated User, then thesystem can track how many times the Link Submitter has accessed thecontent item based on the Authenticated User's identity. If the LinkSubmitter is a Public User, the system can track how many times the LinkSubmitter has accessed the content item based on peer network address(e.g., peer IP address). One access can be counted each time the LinkSubmitter submits the sharable link to the system for access to thecontent item. Alternatively, one access can be counted per session(e.g., per web browser session) in which the Link Submitter submits thesharable link to the system for access to the content item. Under theper session counting approach, submitting the sharable link to view thecontent and submitting the sharable link to download the content in asingle session can count as only one access. Once the Link Submitterexceeds the allowed number of accesses, the Link Submitter can no longeraccess the content item using the sharable link.

Multi-Factor Authentication

In addition to or instead of type of access, temporal, and countrestrictions, the Link Sharer can force multi-factor authenticationbefore access to the content item using the sharable link is allowed bythe system. In some embodiments, multi-factor authentication requiresthe user to provide two pieces of knowledge to the system (e.g., apassword and a pin code). However, in other embodiments, multi-factorauthentication involves two or more of the following factors:

-   -   something the user knows (e.g., a password, a PIN code, a        pattern, etc.);    -   something the user has physical possession (e.g., a card, an        authentication token, etc.); or    -   something the user is (e.g., a biometric characteristic, a        fingerprint, an eye print, etc.)

In some embodiments, the first authentication factor is successfullylogging into an account held by the system, where the accountcorresponds to one of the Authenticated Users specified by the LinkSharer as permitted to access the content item using the sharable link.In other words, the Link Submitter is an Authenticated User authorizedby the Link Sharer to access to the content using the sharable link andwith multi-factor authentication.

In some embodiments, the second authentication factor is successfullyresponding to an access challenge the system presents to the authorizedAuthenticated User when the authorized Authenticated User submits thesharable link to the system. A response to the challenge can be apassword or pin code, for example. Here, on first attempted access tocontent item using the sharable link, the authorized Authenticated Useris prompted to create a personal password or pin code that is used forsubsequent attempts to access the content item using the sharable link.When that authorized Authenticated User submits the sharable link forsubsequent access to the content item, the system prompts (challenges)the authorized Authenticated User to enter the previously providedpassword or pin code. If the authorized Authenticated User provides thecorrect password or pin code, then the requested access to the contentitem is permitted, assuming there are no other restrictions on thesharable link preventing access. If, on the other hand, the authorizedAuthenticated User does not provide the correct password or pin code,then the requested access is refused. Forcing multi-factorauthentication for sensitive content items can be useful to protect thesensitive information of the content items from unauthorized users.

Location Restrictions

In addition to or instead of type of access, temporal, and countrestrictions and forcing multi-factor authentication, the Link Sharercan restrict access to the content using the sharable link to certaingeographic locations. For example, the Link Sharer can restrict accessto the content item from inside the United States. Such access can beenforced by the system based on geo-coding the Link Submitter's peernetwork address, using a geo-ip service for example.

Sharing the Link

Once the Link Sharer has specified the desired restrictions, the LinkSharer can activate the “Share” button on the form. The will cause thesystem to send notifications to the specified Link Recipients.

The “Get Link” button causes a copy of the sharable link to be copied tothe clipboard of the Link Sharer's computer. The Link Sharer can theneasily paste the sharable link into an e-mail or into the address bar ofa web browser.

The form can also provide an “Email” button which when activatedlaunches an e-mail application installed on the Link Sharer's computerfor composing an e-mail message containing the sharable link.

The form can also provide a “FACEBOOK” button for sending the sharablelink to FACEBOOK for further processing by FACEBOOK. Such furtherprocessing can include posting the sharable link on the Link Sharer'sFACEBOOK WALL, for example.

The form can also provide a “TWITTER” button for sending the sharablelink to TWITTER for further processing by TWITTER. Such furtherprocessing can include sending the sharable link in a TWEET under theLink Sharer's TWITTER account, for example.

Sharing a Selected Content Item as a Sharable Link—Team Member

Sharing a content item as a sharable link by a Team Member is similar tosharing a content item as a sharable link by an Individual User asdescribed above. However, a Team can have a policy set by anAdministrator of the Team (who can be one of the Team Members) whichdetermines whether Team Members can share content items with usersoutside the Team (i.e., non-Team Members).

If Team Members are permitted to only share Team content items assharable links with other Team Members, then the Link Sharer can selectspecific Team Member Link Recipients and restrictions for those selectedTeam Members. No other users including Team Members are permitted accessto the Team content item using the sharable link. This is shown byexample in FIG. 8.

If Team Members are permitted to share Team content items with anyone,then the Link Sharer can select specific Team Member Link Recipients andrestrictions for those selected Team members. In addition, the LinkSharer can specify restrictions for everyone else. This is shown byexample in FIG. 9.

Requesting Access to a Content Item

When a Link Submitter that is an Authenticated User submits a sharablelink to the system, the Link Submitter may not be authorized to accessthe underlying content item based on restrictions configured by the LinkSharer. In this case, the unauthorized Authenticated User can bepresented with a page informing that the requested access is notauthorized. In addition, the page may contain controls allowing theunauthorized Authenticated User to message the Link Sharer to requestaccess to the content item using the sharable link. In some usagescenarios, the Link Sharer can configure on a per-sharable link basis orglobally whether the Link Sharer wants to allow unauthorized users tosend requests for access.

An example of such an unauthorized access page is shown in FIG. 10,which is a diagram illustrating an access denied page displayed after anAuthenticated User submits a sharable link to the system requestingaccess to the underlying content item and the requested access is notauthorized according to restrictions specified by the Link Sharer. Ifthe Link Submitter activates the “Yes” button, then the system notifiesthe Link Sharer that the Authenticated User is requesting access to thecontent via the sharable link. Such notification can be made by e-mailor other appropriate notification mechanism.

Approving a Request for Access to a Content Item

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an approval page that may be presentedto the Link Sharer when an unauthorized Authenticated User requestsaccess to a content item at a sharable link. The page identifies theAuthenticated User requesting access. The page also prompts the LinkSharer to approve or disapprove the Authenticated User's request foraccess. If approved, the Authenticated user is added to the list ofAuthenticated User's approved by the Link Sharer to access to thecontent item using the sharable link. The approval page also includes a“shared link” hyperlink which, when activated by the Link Sharer,presents the current restrictions on the sharable link in a modifiableform.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a form presented to the Link Sharerfor modifying the use restrictions on a sharable link for a content itemthat an unauthorized Authenticated User has requested access to. Themodification form can be presented to the Link Sharer in response toactivating the “sharable link” link on the approval form. Themodification form allows the Link Sharer to confirm or modify therestrictions on the sharable link before approving the unauthorizedAuthenticated User to access the content item.

Returning to FIG. 11, if the Link Sharer activates the “Yes” buttonapproving the requested access, then, as mentioned, the requestingAuthenticated User is added to the list of authorized AuthenticatedUsers for the sharable link. In addition, the system sends anotification to the requesting Authenticated User informing that therequested access has been approved by the Link Sharer. Such notificationcan be made by e-mail, text message, or by other means.

Modifying and Deleting Existing Sharable Links

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a page for managing sharable linksthat a Link Sharer has previously shared. The sharable links are listedin table format. Each sharable link is identified by the name of theunderling content item and time and date the sharable link was created.In addition, if the sharable link was created with restrictions, thenthe Link Sharer can activate the corresponding “Edit Restrictions”button to modify the current use restrictions associated with thesharable link. If the sharable link does not currently have anyassociated use restrictions, then a “Restrict Access” button for addingrestrictions to the sharable link may be displayed. Activating the “EditRestrictions” button or the “Restrict Access” button for a sharable linkcan take the Link Sharer to a page similar to that shown in FIG. 12. Acreated sharable link can also be deleted by activating thecorresponding “Delete” button. After deleting a sharable link, it can nolonger be used to access to underlying content item.

Accessing a Content Item at a Sharable Link

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a page displayed in a web browserwindow of a Link Submitter that submits a sharable link to the systemthat the Link Submitter has view and download access to. Here, theunderlying content item is a document named “Getting Started.pdf”. Sincethe Link Submitter is not restricted from viewing the document, thesystem allows the Link Submitter to view the document in the web browserwindow. If the Link Submitter was restricted from viewing the documentbut was not restricted from viewing a preview of the document, then thesystem would allow the Link Submitter to view a preview of the documentin the web browser window. If the Link Submitter was not permitted toview the document or view a preview of the document, then the systemwould not present a preview or present the document in the web browserwindow.

A “Download” button is displayed on the page because the Link Submitteris not restricted from downloading the underlying content item. If theLink Submitter was restricted from downloading the underlying contentitem, the “Download” button would not be displayed on the page.Activating the “Download” button can cause the web browser to send thesharable link to the system requesting that the system serve theunderlying content item to the web browser. It should be noted that thelink to download the content item can take a form different than thelink to preview or view the content item. For example, the link to viewthe content item can be:https://www.dropbox.com/s/bvmknfj2k53jgiv/Getting%20Started.pdf

While the link to download the content item can be:https://dl.dropbox.com/s/bvmknfj2k53jgiv/Getting%20Started.pdf?token_hash=AAHXSzLFd_V-nSc4_(—)6UqlRSw9ZnHBbgrJoDobKJPBuwWg&dl=1

Both links are the same sharable link. Both links contain the samecontent item identifying information. In particular, both links containthe same pseudo-randomly generated token “bvmknfj2k53jgiv” and bothlinks contain the same content item name “Getting Started.pdf”.Accordingly, both links can be considered to be the same sharable link.More generally, all links submitted to the system by a Link Submitterrequesting access to a content item where all of the links have the samecontent item identifying information can be the same sharable link evenif the links are not identical in form.

The “Download” action, if available to the Link Submitter, causes a copyof the underlying content item to be downloaded to the Link Submitter'spersonal computer. Such copy can be compressed in a file archive (e.g.,as a ZIP archive). If the underlying content item is a folder, thecontent items in the folder and all sub-folders can be downloaded as acompressed file archive that preserves the file-folder hierarchyrelative to the folder.

Software Architecture

FIG. 15 is a high-level diagram illustrating components that comprisethe software architecture of a cross-platform content item sharing andsynchronization system 1500 constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. As shown, system 1500 comprises a user interface (UI) manager1510, an account manager 1520, a content item synchronization manager1530, a content item sharing manager 1540, and a database (data store)1550. In typical deployment, the system 1500 is deployed on one or moreservers (e.g., web servers), which can be accessed by end users viabrowser software or dedicated application software (e.g., operating onclient personal computing devices). Each component of the system 1500will next be described in turn.

The UI manager 1510 is a program module supporting the user interfacefor the system such as the exemplary user interfaces described above.Significantly, the user interface provides a cross-platform webapplication-based screen display with user input features (e.g., pulldown menus, dialog boxes, buttons, and the like) that allowAuthenticated Users to share and manage content items associated withtheir accounts and allow Authenticated Users and Public Users to accesscontent items using sharable links.

In typical use, users access the user interface from web browsersoftware (e.g., INTERNET EXPLORER, GOOGLE CHROME, SAFARI, FIREFOX,OPERA, etc.) installed on their client personal computing devices.However, the users may also access the user interface from dedicatedclient application software installed on the personal computer devices.The dedicated client application software can be provided by the system1500 as downloadable software, for example. The client personalcomputing devices can be stationary computing devices (e.g., desktop andworkstation computers), portable computing devices (e.g., laptop andtablet computers), set-top computing devices (e.g., game consoles andsmart televisions), and mobile computing devices (e.g., mobile and smartphones). The client personal computing device run a variety of differentoperating system such as WINDOWS, MAX OS X, LINUX, IOS, ANDROID, andBLACKBERRY OS. Thus, the system 1500 supports a variety of differenttypes of computing devices and operating systems.

Users can create accounts with the system using the account manager 1520which is coupled to the UI manager 1510 for sending and receivingaccount data (e.g., account registration data, user preferences andsettings data, etc.) to and from users.

After creating and successfully authenticated with an account (e.g., anIndividual Account or Team Account), the user can designate a contentitem client repository on each of his or her client personal computingdevices to associate with the account. For example, the content itemrepository can be an operating system folder of each of the clientpersonal computing devices designated by the user. The synchronizationmanager 1530 replicate changes to content items in the client devicerepositories to ensure that each of the repositories eventually has thesame set of content items. To do this, the synchronization manager 1530can maintain a “hub” repository in the database 1550. The hub repositorycontains a copy of the set of content items associated with the account.

In operation, when a change to a content item of the set is made at oneof the user's client personal computing devices (e.g., a content item isadded, modified, or deleted), data representing the change is sentopportunistically by an agent installed on the client computing deviceto the synchronization manager 1530 over a data network (e.g., theInternet). For example, delta encoding or data differencing algorithmsmay be performed by the agent and synchronization manager 1530 to send aminimal amount of data over the data network that conveys the changemade. Once received, the synchronization manager 1530 applies the changeto the hub repository and opportunistically replicates the change toagents installed on the other of the user's client personal computingdevices over the data network which apply the change to their localclient repositories. If the account is a Team Account, thesynchronization manager 1530 may also opportunistically replicate thechange to the client personal computing devices of other Team Members.The synchronization manager 1530 can also replicate changes to agents onclient computing devices when the hub repository is modified directlyThe synchronization manager 1530 allows the set of content itemsassociated with an account to be recovered from the hub repository if aclient repository is lost or destroyed (e.g., the client personalcomputing device containing the client repository is lost or destroyed).In addition, the synchronization manager 1530 facilitates a changeanywhere ability where a change to a content item in any of the clientrepository or the hub repository associated with an account iseventually and opportunistically replicated to every other repositoryassociated with the account.

The sharing manger 1540 allows Authenticated Users to share contentitems in the hub repositories associated with their accounts as sharablelinks. The sharing manager 1540 is coupled to the UI manager 1520 forreceiving Authenticated Users' selection of content items to share andfor receiving Authenticated Users' specification of restrictions on useof the sharable links for access to the content items.

In typical use, to share a content item 1552 as a sharable link 1553, aLink Sharer first logs-in to an account 1551. The content item 1552 canbe a file or folder associated with the account 1551. The account 1551can be an Individual Account or a Team Account.

After logging in to the account 1551, the Link Sharer selects thecontent item 1552 to share as the sharable link 1553. The Link Sharercan then specify one or more Link Recipients that will be sentnotification of the sharable link 1553 (e.g., by e-mail message and/ortext message). The Link Sharer can also restrict use of the sharablelink 1553 for access to the content item 1552 or allow defaultrestrictions to apply.

If the Link Sharer allows default restrictions to apply, then all LinkSubmitters of the sharable link 1553 have the same access to the contentitem 1552. For example, all Link Submitters may be able to see a previewof the content item in their web browsers.

If, on the other hand, the Link Sharer selects to restrict use of thesharable link 1553, then the Link Sharer can specify restrictions 1554for the specified Link Recipients. The restrictions 1554 can includerestrictions on what type of access to the content item 1552 it allows,when the sharable link 1553 can be used by the Link Recipients to accessto the content item 1552, how many times the sharable link 1553 can beused by each Link Recipient to access the content item 1552, and/or, forAuthenticated Users, a level of authentication required of the LinkRecipients to access the content item 1552 using the sharable link 1553,among other possible restrictions.

If the account is an Individual Account, the Link Sharer can alsospecify similar separate restrictions 1554 for everyone else (i.e., LinkSubmitters who are not specified Link Recipients).

If the account is a Team Account, then the users the Link Sharer canspecify restrictions 1554 for depend on whether Team Members arepermitted to share content items of the Team to users outside the Team(i.e., with non-Team Members) or only to other Team Members. AnAdministrator of the Team (who may also be a Team Member) can configurea Team-wide setting on whether Team Members can share Team content itemswith users outside the Team. If Team Members are permitted to share Teamcontent items outside the Team, then the Link Sharer can specifyseparate restrictions 1554 for Team Members specified as LinkRecipients, Authenticated Users specified as Link Recipients, andeveryone else. If, on the other hand, Team Members are not permitted toshare Team content items as sharable links outside the Team, then theLink Sharer can specify restrictions 1554 for only Team Membersspecified as Link Recipients. In this case, all other users will nothave access to the content item 1552 using the sharable link 1553.

After specifying any restrictions 1554, the sharing manager 1540 storesthe restrictions 1540 in the database 1550 in associated with thesharable link 1553.

When a Link Submitter submits the sharable link 1553 to the system 1500requesting access to the content item 1552, the sharing manager 1540determines whether the requested access is permitted according to therestrictions 1554. The requested access can be to view a preview of thecontent item 1552, to view the content item 1552, to download thecontent 1552, edit the content 1552, as just some examples of possiblerequests for access.

If the requested access is permitted, then the sharing manager 1540serves the requested access (e.g., generates a preview of the content1552 if the requested access is to view a preview of the content item1552).

If the requested access is not permitted and the Link Submitter is notan Authenticated User, then the sharing manager 1540 returns an accessdenied message to the Link Submitter.

If the requested access is not permitted and the Link Submitter is anAuthenticated User (i.e., an Authenticated Link Submitter), then sharingmanager 1540 returns an access denied message. In addition, the sharingsystem 1540 can prompt the Authenticated Link Submitter if he or shewants to request access to the content item 1552 from the Link Sharer.If the Authenticated Link Submitter selects to request access from theLink Sharer, then the sharing manager 1540 messages the Link Sharer(e.g., by e-mail, text message, or other messaging mechanism). Themessage informs the Link Sharer of the Authenticated Link Submitter thanis requesting access, the content item 1552 the Authenticated LinkSubmitter is requesting access to, and the sharable link 1553 theAuthenticated Link Submitter used to attempt to access the content item1552. The message to the Link Sharer also allows the Link Sharer toapprove or deny the request for access. If approved, the sharing manager1540 modifies the restrictions 1554 to add the Authenticated LinkSubmitter to list of authorized Authenticated Users or list of TeamMembers, as appropriate. If the content item 1552 is associated with aTeam account and Team Members are not allowed to share Team contentitems to non-Team Members, then the Authenticated Link Submitter may berequired to be a Team Member to request access.

Extensions and Alternatives

While the invention is described in some detail with specific referenceto a single-preferred embodiment and certain alternatives, there is nointent to limit the invention to that particular embodiment or thosespecific alternatives. For instance, those skilled in the art willappreciate that modifications may be made to the preferred embodimentwithout departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Further, the sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention,and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention,is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue fromthis application, in the specific form in which such claims issue,including any subsequent correction.

1. A method for sharing a server-stored content item, comprising:receiving, from a client computing device used by a link submitter, arequest to access a server-stored content item at a sharable link;denying the access requested by the link submitter based on one or moreuse restrictions associated with the shareable link; prompting the linksubmitter to request approval to access to the server-stored contentitem at the shareable link; responsive to receiving approval for thelink submitter to access the server-stored content item at the shareablelink, modifying the use restrictions associated with the shareable linkto allow the link submitter to access the server-stored content item atthe shareable link.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the approval forthe link submitter to access the server-stored content item at theshareable link is received from a link sharer that created the shareablelink.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharable link has the formof a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe server-stored content item is one of a file or a folder.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the use restrictions associated with theshareable link are modified to allow the link submitter to download theserver-stored content item at the shareable link.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the use restrictions associated with the shareable link aremodified to allow the link submitter to view the server-stored contentitem at the shareable link.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the userestrictions associated with the shareable link are modified to allowthe link submitter to view a preview of the server-stored content itemat the shareable link.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the linksubmitter is prompted to request approval to access to the server-storedcontent item at the shareable link in response to the receiving therequest to access the server-stored content item at the sharable linkand denying the access requested.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: prompting a link sharer to approve or disapprove the linksubmitter's request for approval to access the server-stored contentitem at the shareable link.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: allowing the link sharer to modify the use restrictionsassociated with the shareable link before approving the link submitter'srequest for approval to access the server-stored content item at theshareable link.
 11. A system comprising: one or more computing devicesconfigured with instructions which, when executed by the one or morecomputing devices, cause: receiving, from a client computing device usedby a link submitter, a request to access a server-stored content item ata sharable link; denying the access requested by the link submitterbased on one or more use restrictions associated with the shareablelink; prompting the link submitter to request approval to access to theserver-stored content item at the shareable link; responsive toreceiving approval for the link submitter to access the server-storedcontent item at the shareable link, modifying the use restrictionsassociated with the shareable link to allow the link submitter to accessthe server-stored content item at the shareable link.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the approval for the link submitter to access theserver-stored content item at the shareable link is received from a linksharer that created the shareable link.
 13. The system of claim 11,wherein the sharable link has the form of a Uniform Resource Locator(URL).
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server-stored contentitem is one of a file or a folder.
 15. The system of claim 11, whereinthe use restrictions associated with the shareable link are modified toallow the link submitter to download the server-stored content item atthe shareable link.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the userestrictions associated with the shareable link are modified to allowthe link submitter to view the server-stored content item at theshareable link.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the use restrictionsassociated with the shareable link are modified to allow the linksubmitter to view a preview of the server-stored content item at theshareable link.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the link submitteris prompted to request approval to access to the server-stored contentitem at the shareable link in response to the receiving the request toaccess the server-stored content item at the sharable link and denyingthe access requested.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices,further cause: prompting a link sharer to approve or disapprove the linksubmitter's request for approval to access the server-stored contentitem at the shareable link.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices,further cause: allowing the link sharer to modify the use restrictionsassociated with the shareable link before approving the link submitter'srequest for approval to access the server-stored content item at theshareable link.